NEARLY half of adults with internet access in Wales use it every day, according to new research from the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The survey revealed that in the UK, more than half of all men with internet access (51%) use the web every single day compared to around two in five (41%) women.

Shopping online also proved very popular in Wales, with 66% of respondents, the highest in the country, using the internet to make a purchase. This compared with a figure of 45% in Yorkshire and the North East and a national average of 54%.

The survey also found, unsurprisingly, that people aged 25-34 use the internet most - 56% use it every day and a further 24% three times, or more, a week.

Although older people are generally less likely to have used the internet than those of a younger generation, the research found that of those who do, the so-called "silver surfers" do so more frequently than those in younger age groups - 43% of older internet users use it everyday compared to only 28% of 16 to 24-year-olds.

Richard Johnson, head of eCommerce, said, "Results from the third quarterly Internet Banking and Buying Index again demonstrate some interesting demographic differences in people's online behaviours.

"More than half of all adults (54%) use the internet to make purchases and, like internet use overall, this peaks for 25 to 34-year-olds where 65% do so.

"Women are slightly less likely than men to buy online (52% compared with 56%).

"CDs, DVDs and videos (41%) and books (31%) remain the most popular internet purchases. Nearly one in three women (31%) but only 18% of men have bought clothes online and 26% of all adults have bought travel online.

Nearly a quarter (22%) of all women have bought groceries or wine over the web but only 10% of men have done the same. In contrast, 9% of men but only 2% of women have bought electrical goods online."